Good Morning, America!

I’m off. But I’ll be back before the New Year. Here are some random thoughts in the interim…

1. British Airways offers antiseptic toilet wipes in its lavoratories. Must tell United. BA also offers more channels of entertainment than United.

2. I enjoyed a cocktail in the lobby of a hotel in Florida last night and as I was sitting there, I heard the people behind me speaking American. And I sat there for more than a few minutes thinking, “Hey, there are Americans here.”

3. I woke up at 4 a.m. East Coast Time and spent a few moments outside the bathroom in my hotel room, trying to figure out how to turn the light on INSIDE the bathroom. (There was a lot of wall slapping going on.)

4. I ordered this huge pasta dish last night for $17 and could only eat about 1/3 of it and they gave me a doggy bag. I didn’t even have to ask. God Bless this country.

5. Wagamama is opening in Boston in the Spring of 2007. (First US outpost!)

6. Enomatic Wine Bars are all the rage in the US right now. Check out # 56 in Food & Wine. I dropped in at The Wine Room on Saturday and loved it, but could not get the family to partake before 12 in the afternoon. Dos Hermanos have already profiled The Sampler, one of my first stops when I get back.

7. Rachel Ray is everywhere. She has her own magazine. This morning–Christmas Morning–I caught her TV show. She’s been on Oprah (although I do think it was a rerun from last year). She’s all over the Food Network. I google’d “I hate Rachel Ray” to see what would happen, and I’ve found I’m not alone, no, I am not alone at all, not at all…

More to come, I’m sure…